Letter: Reasons for voting "yes" on Measure U

As someone who attended Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) schools K-12, and is currently a parent of LTUSD students, I want to share why I’m voting for Measure U from a couple of viewpoints.

Most importantly, the better quality facilities and programs that we can provide our children, the better chance they have to succeed - in a world where they are competing against students from much more affluent school districts for the same jobs and higher education opportunities. We need to give our local students the best foundation possible for creating options for themselves, we want to see them make their own way and be leaders in their community (including South Lake Tahoe).

Specifically, Measure U comprises a list of needs for LTUSD facilities that have been carefully vetted. Bond implementation is monitored by a Citizen's Oversight Committee that meets quarterly, as well as an annual professional audit - what you see is what you get - this is no grab for padding budgets or funding vague and politicized projects. What if you couldn’t spend more than 3% of your annual household budget on maintenance and repairs? You could call the plumber for a leaky faucet, re-paint a room or two, and redo your driveway sealer. But what about when you need a new roof or the entire exterior re-painted? What if your water heater is rusted out and the driveway asphalt is crumbling? Eventually, you would have to figure out how to pay for these replacements as at some point there is nothing left worth maintaining. Most homeowners and landlords don’t have tens of thousands of dollars lying around, so they get a home equity loan or refinance their mortgage for capital repairs and improvements.

Measure U is basically that for our schools. We taxpayers own our public schools, so we must pay a little extra every decade or two for our schools to be brought up to date. No one wants to live in a rundown house with a leaky roof, peeling paint, no hot water, and a crumbled asphalt driveway. Our kids shouldn’t have to learn in these conditions either. Vote ‘Yes’ on Measure U and share your pride of ownership in our local schools.

- Matt Lucksinger
South Lake Tahoe